Department Store or Fashion Museum?

photo credit: dubbie

Rumours in the industry today that the high end retailer from HK, Lane Crawford, is struggling in Beijing and could close down soon. That would be another embarrassing and expensive flop in China after the failure of Lane Crawford Shanghai and Hangzhou in previous years.

So is there any truth to the rumour? Well, having walked through the beautiful airy store, with it's glimmering mirrors and shiny counters it really seems to be the model of what a fashion and beauty sanctum should look like. Described as a 'fusion of fashion, art and architecture', it's new edgy, artsy communication is also very refreshing BUT BUT...despite seemingly having done everything right, the biggest let down has to be it's location. It's out of the way, in a part of town not frequented by shoppers, it's not convenient, it has no residential area close by, it has no thriving eateries and restaurants in the vicinity (a very important factor driving store traffic in China). The place has the grandeur and emptiness of an impressive museum during closing hours.

However, it would be a shame if it did close, after all it houses 600 high-end fashion and beauty brands, many of which are new to China, like Alexander McQueen in fashion and Ole Henrikson in beauty but somehow I can't imagine Lane Crawford letting a $38million investment go down the drain like that in what has only been just over a year. Let's see.